Liquid or powder? How do you wash your cycling clothes?

When it comes to washing your cycling clothes do you use liquid or powder? IMO it all depends on the quality of your washing machine, the quality or your water supply, whether or not you have a whole house water filtration system &/or a water softener.

I have used both. I think it all depends on the brand, whether or not it is the dye & fragrance free kind, etc. I find that either the dye & fragrance free in either liquid or powder works best in any of the brands that offer it.

When it comes to how you wash your cycling clothes I know there are some who don't like to use a washing machine because they think it will damage their clothes. I'm not sure that is really true. I've been using a washing machine to clean my cycling clothes for years and have yet to replace them because of excess wear & tear or damage caused by it. I have used several differant types of machines. From the kind found in a laundry mat to our current one. My wife's washing machine has what is called a hand wash cycle, which is what I use to clean my cycling clothes. Before we bought our house we lived in an apt & used the washer that was provided for us. It didn't have a hand wash selection but my cycling clothes were never damaged.

When it comes to drying your clothes again it depends on what kind of dryer you use and what it's selections & features are. Like washing machines I've used all types of dryers and have yet to replace cycling clothes because they were damaged or had excessive wear & tear. But every dryer I've used has had a medium and/or low heat setting. The setting I use is determined by the outside humidity. The higher the humidity I have to use the medioum setting.

I usually throw my cycling stuff in with the regular wash. Once in a full moon I will wash all the stuff seperately but rarely. I use the Costco brand liquid stuff with good old hard water. Never had a problem with the clothes looking old or wearing out to fast.

A lot of high end backpacking goretex stuff says use powder instead of liquid. Traditionally, goretex needs a water repellant coating which is oleophobic (repelling). Liquid soaps are thought to leave behind residue that is oleophilic (attracting) which reduces the effectiveness of the repellant coating.
I'm not sure how that affects cycling specific clothing but for a lot of my delicate wicking materials, I just hand wash, they dry less than overnight.

I hand wash my stuff in the bathroom sink using dishwashing liquid, then air dry. The actual washing part takes about five minutes. I usually wash my cycling attire within a day after I wear them. I always have something clean on the hangar.

"Washing Performance Fabrics with ordinary laundry detergents destroys the very properties that you are trying to restore. Detergent residue is the chemical scum deposited on the fabric with every washing. In about 10 washings it reaches 2 % of the weight of the fabric. It consists of Perfume, Ultra-Violet Brightening Dyes, Salts, Surfactants, Processing Aids, Washing Machine Lubricants, and a variety of Oils, Fats, and Polymers to glue it all to the fabric. This stiffens the fabric by binding the fibers together. Now Fabric Softener is added to reduce stiffness adding more residue."

Cycling clothing is quite expensive. I prefer not taking a chance on ruining the special qualities, when the cost of an additve free wash product is not a big deal. BTW, I have no connection with this compny.

Some people debate shaving down their seat post to the min insertion mark to save a few grams, I'm not surprised. While I know cycling clothes aren't that picky, it makes sense to use the right detergent to avoid ruining the DWR finish on a $1200 goretex suit.
Besides it makes for good forum conversation

Or boring bike threads,depending how you look at it If you have a 1200 goretex suit,you pay to have it cleaned but for everyday riding slobs,you wash your cycling stuff with what you use for the rest of your cloths.

This is a good topic since people invest a decent amount of money into cycling apparel. Even just one pair of bibs and jersey can cost around $200+ plus the fact you might have something you want to make last- like a jersey you won or got at a memorable event.

My experience has been that the dryer causes all the damage. I think it's the heat that just breaks down the polyester material.

Hand wash/cold water (or gentle cycle/handwash cycle) woolite/ hang dry. That keeps things lasting a good long time and keeps the color from fading.

I can't believe that people continue to fill the board with posts complaining about questions other people ask. There is nothing forcing you to click on the link to open the thread, you know.

Well i know but its like a B movie,you just cant belive what your seeing and cant stop but come on,liquid or powder.And for my last 2 cents,if some would use search,the posts would'nt be trashed with the same questions day after day and somebody might ask some new fresh question but it must just be me so i'll just say liquid.

Well i know but its like a B movie,you just cant belive what your seeing and cant stop but come on,liquid or powder.And for my last 2 cents,if some would use search,the posts would'nt be trashed with the same questions day after day and somebody might ask some new fresh question but it must just be me so i'll just say liquid.

"Ascends to soap box*
That's one of the problems with special interest forums. There are only so many parts of a bicycle to talk about, and only so many types of bicycles to discuss. Questions are limited in their scope. It is also inevitable that someone will come in and ask a question that has been answered somewhere, but maybe they don't know how to do a search, some folks are more savy than others, some folks will read FAQs about posting and searching, some folks won't know where to look for FAQs or how to do a search. Sure there is some repetition, but even a topic that has been discussed, can be brought to the top and perhaps some new views and angles will come to light.

There are plenty of bicycle forums out there discussing the exact same things on each and every one of them. What wheels, what bike, aluminum will fail faster than steel, yadda yadda yadda. The difference is the way people interact and whether new comers will feel welcomed or comfortable posting questions without being torched in flames. I for one and I imagine many others participate in this particular forum because of the people who contribute and interact in a manner that makes the place feel comfortable like a pair of well worn jeans.

It's all about dicussion and interaction, some people need more, and some people get bored with the same ol same ol. Some people get tired reading about Mavic this or Trek that but everyone is here to read about something. People are repeatedly asking how to clean their bike, how to clean their drive train, etc. so it seems logical that how to clean your clothes would fall right in line with those questions that are repeatedly addressed, seems as though this was fresh in that it was asking a question that hadn't been asked along the same lines of questions that had.

Think about it, people even ask about changing a flat tire something that is second nature to most of us, but not all. I been changing tires longer than many of these people have been alive. BUT through discussion I have learned some tips to refine my skills. In particular I like someone's suggestion of placing the tire label near the valve stem to help localize the leak.

But those people feel comfortable enough to ask those questions, and that to me is what it's all about. This is a great community of people with like minded interests who aren't elitist (for the most part LOL) driving off newbies by flaming them for not knowing any better.
*descends from soap box*

*insert disclaimer*
SHOKHEAD, please do not consider this to be addressed directly to you or an admonishment of you in any way, it is merely a statement of how I feel about participation in any forum I have chosen to actively participate in.
*end disclaimer*

*return to topic*
I toss my stuff in with the regular laundry. We don't use liquid since it seems to react with the sensitive skin of myself and my kids more than powdered. I figure if the stuff can survive the contact between my derrier and saddle, than it should be able to survive a ride through the washer.
*return thread to general view*

All this talk about laundry...did you guys know that Clorox commissioned a 30 minute infomercial about the history of bleach? It's true. Bleach has taken a beating in years past and the base of users are dying off - not from using it but from old age - and Clorox wanted to address some of the misconceptions (environmental, safety, etc.) head on in order to sway younger audiences. It's very interesting. Goes on the air in select markets on the 26th and will roll out nationwide in July. And no, Ron Popeil is not the host. It's style is very much like a History Channel documentary, with a sales message of course.